Rate matching in video conferencing is a process for improving video conference performance. In some situations, a video conferencing client connected via the Internet may have a fluctuating amount of bandwidth while other clients are on a corporate intranet with a stable amount of bandwidth. The Internet client may not be able to receive the same quality video stream as the intranet clients and so the video conference system may be forced to degrade the video quality for all participating clients to a level that the lowest performing client can handle. That is, the system may force the intranet clients to compromise and sacrifice their capabilities, and only encode/receive at low-bit rate streams with a low-resolution and low-frame rate experience.
For example, for the intranet clients may be able to encode and play back at VGA resolution (640×480 pixels per frame) with a frame rate of 30 frames per second (fps). The Internet client may only be able to encode and receive at CIF resolution (320×240) with a 15 fps rate. The conventional strategy is to force every client to encode and receive at the lower, CIF resolution or to have a video conferencing system drop alternate frames from a VGA resolution stream.